Reader – “I can't believe you concentrated on how he could win her, rather than telling him: "Do NOT date your boss! This will not end well for either of you!"

Ellie – I respect your strong opinion and suspect it comes from personal experience or that of people you’ve known.

My own experience and that of many others has shown the other side, too: Happy, successful relationships can and do arise within workplaces.

BUT where there’s an employer/boss power imbalance, a relationship must be handled thoughtfully (unless strict workplace rules prohibit it, and one person in the couple needs to back off or change jobs).

I advised him not to “win her,” but to make friends with her to find out if they had anything besides the workplace in common.

Tip of the day:

The partner with the dysfunctional parent should try to set limits, with his/her partner’s support.